Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-03-13

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For days the city was given over t.
gayety. Confetti-a sort OF candy-fol
lowed the flowers in showers. 1t was
romantic riot day and night until tn
last day of the carnival. Then CAM
the balls. Seventy thousand peopl,
danced wildly all that night far into tn
| penitential morn of Ash Wednesday.
HOW THE EARTHQUAKE BEGAN.
The night was filed with reyelry
Balls were held all over the city, bu
there were 10000 people at the ont
great ball of the night.
q went to that ball, and it was very
late when l reached home, said Colone
Tone.
~ was quartered on the third fool
of the Grand Hotel. Though it wa,
nearly daylight L could not sleep, and
| so lay in bed reading book. Suddenly
and without warning roar more terri.
BILE than q tornado came. A thousand
mines seemed exploding under the fool
| and thousand trains OF cars seemed
rolling over the roof. The noise w6s
Undesirable. 1t seemed as if the
world were being ground to pieces and
the city with it. The first shock threw
me into the middle of the floor, which
tippedup like the roof of ahouse. tried
to walk, but was pitched headlongacross
the room. The bed rolled from side to
side, and L went after it. ! was shaken
as strong man shakes boy. AS soon
as conld master myself 1 managed by
a great effort TO reach the door leading
into Mr.. Burke's room adjoining. 1t
was locked. l kicked and pounded,
but in that awful roar could only Just
hear his voice. ] shouted as loud as I
could, and yelled that it was an earth
quake-that we must fly to the street.
We burst open the double doors. and in
some way, / don't know how, got down
stairs while the great walls, ten feet
thick, were cracking with artillery re-
ports. The scenes in the cor
ridors and on the floors below
rs we're like riot in mad
house. Beautiful women, with long
hair streaming down their backs, rush
ed wildly around, beseeching the por-
tiers to save them. One woman, who
had been the belle of many a great ball,
appeared in a single garment with q
bird-cage and two canaries. The birds
were so frightened that they hung backs
downward from their cage with their
eyes closed. The lady reached the
street, where some one gave her a
wrap for her shoulders but she had no
skirt. Havingexperienced earthquakes
in San Francisco, [ thought was familiar
with them, but at Nice the horror was
beyond description. On the street the
people lost their heads. Fifty dollars
were offered for any kind of a vehicle.
Hundreds of. ladies in their night-gar
ments fell on their knees before great.
rough porters more frightened than
themselves. Money could not hire
them to go into the buildings for trunks.
We dragged down our own luggage and
saved everything. Twenty thousand
people packed the public square.
DoDGISG TWENTY THOUSAND HOUSES.
"The second shock was more terrible
than the first. To tell the truth, could
not remember whether it was two
seconds or two hours after the first
shock. But it was fearful convulsion.
Then the panic became general. Think
of it-seventy thousand people trying
to dodge twenty thousand buildings
| expected every moment to see the
city fall in ruins. New York could
not stand minute under such
shocks. The great blocks of public
buildings rose and fell like ships in a
storm. The motion was unlike any,
thing moved by natural laws. Gravi.
tation seemed entirely suspended du-
ring the throes. My feet would be in
the air and moment later / could see
the tops of four-story houses as they
leaned over on the earth pillows sweep
ing across the city.
Fortunately for us, Mr.. Burke and
myself had purchased tickets for Paris
on the previous day. At the station we
found $4,000 people praying to go on
the next train. The cars holding seventy
people were literally packed with hui
mainly, but multitude who were out
side could not get near the train. AS
high as 1,000f. were offered for place
on the train. The first earthquake
shock came at 6 o'clock. AT 9 o'clock
word was received by telegraph that an
other shock from Rome or some other
point would reach Nice in an hour. This
created afresh panic. Men in their ex-
element shouldered half-dressed wo-
men, thinking they were trunks. Wo-
men ran around trying to save little
utterly bereft OF sense or judy
ment, and imploring the guards to put
them on the cars. The morning train
did not get off until noon. Then was
happy. An earthquake changes aman's
nature. L did not care whether the
own sank, with everybody in it, if L
'ould only get away. No more earth
makes for me Good-nioht -